'PAS gunning on Memali revival to attack Dr M, gain support'
PAS is now politicising the three-decade-old Memali incident just to gain Malay support and to attack Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad, said an Amanah leader.
Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub, who was a former PAS vice-president, said he recalled a time when former PAS president Fadzil Noor had consented to a purported request from Kedah police for the party to cancel its annual memorial function for Ibrahim 'Libya' Mahmood, who was killed in the incident.
"And then (one year), there was a meeting attended by the Kedah police chief and Ustaz Fadzil where we (PAS) were told to stop and avoid any outcry (over the incident)."
PAS is now politicising the three-decade-old Memali incident just to gain Malay support and to attack Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad, said an Amanah leader.
Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub, who was a former PAS vice-president, said he recalled a time when former PAS president Fadzil Noor had consented to a purported request from Kedah police for the party to cancel its annual memorial function for Ibrahim 'Libya' Mahmood, who was killed in the incident.
"And then (one year), there was a meeting attended by the Kedah police chief and Ustaz Fadzil where we (PAS) were told to stop and avoid any outcry (over the incident).
"The matter was brought to the PAS central committee meeting, where it was later agreed to cancel the function," he said.
The following year, Salahuddin said a similar function was held at a school set up by Ibrahim, also located in Memali, a district in Baling, Kedah that saw a violent clash between Ibrahim's supporters and the police on Nov 19, 1985.
A government white paper on the Memali incident, which was tabled in Parliament in 1986, portrayed Ibrahim as a firebrand speaker inculcating "extremist attitudes" amongst PAS members and supporters.
He was however revered by many PAS leaders and supporters, and has often been mourned as a martyr.
The Memali incident is said to have been triggered when the police attempted to arrest Ibrahim and his followers.
PAS' political fodder
Commenting further, Salahuddin said Amanah is unperturbed by PAS' current tactic to use the Memali incident as political fodder.
"To me, that is normal.
"When someone is fighting against BN, then all his past mistakes will be dug up," he said, alluding to Mahathir, who has switched from being BN's top veteran leader to the opposition's frontman.
He was speaking at Amanah Wanita's second annual convention in Kuala Lumpur today.
The long forgotten Memali incident once again made headlines after Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi mentioned it while attacking Mahathir in a speech in Baling, followed by the fracas that erupted at a forum last Sunday when Mahathir was responding to a question on the tragedy.
